Improved means for reefing topsails



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TO ALL WHOM IT yMAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, FRIDOLF I-IK, of' San Francisco city and county,State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Devices for ReefingUpper Topsails; and Ido hereby declare thefollowing description and accompanying drawings are sullicient to enableany person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearlyappertains to make and use my sa-id invention or improvements, withoutfurther invention or experiment. i v

The nature of my invention is to provide an ,improved device for reelingupper topsails, by which all the labor can be done from the deck of thevessel, and the necessity of sending men al'oft will be avoided.

Travelling rollers are placed at intervals along the spar supported bythe lower topsail-yard, and which support the spar and keep it frombreaking, as well as keeping the sail properly in place. A reeling-chainhaving a sufficient number of turns about the rolling-spar passes in asheave-hole in each end of the yard, and thence beneath the yard to aquarter block, from which it passes inside the rim ofthe top and througha single block, from which the tackle for reeng leads to the deck. Tomore fully explain my invention, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, of which- Figure lis aside elvation.

Figure 2, a front view.

Figure 3, au enlarged view of the travelling rollers.

Similar letters indicate like parts in each of the figures of thedrawings.

A is the lower and B the upper topsail-yard. From each extremityr of theyard A stout iron supports E, about fourteen inches long, projectupward, having holes through the upper end. Thcjournals of therollingspar C turn in these holes. The ends of the spar must hestrengthened with iron bands. Battens are fastened along the spar, andajack-stay, to which the foot of the sail is bent. These battens serveto take up the slack canvas as the sail is rolled up, and should notexceed in length the head-rope of the sail. Travelling rollers areplaced so as to divide the spar into three equal parts, supporting it ateach point of division to prevent it from breaking. These rollers areconstructed in this manner Side pieces of iron a a arebent so as tonearly encircle the spar, and made large enough to admit the sailrolling inside. These sides are firmly attached to each other, leavingsuicient space to admit the stout wooden rollers c c c cl which preventthe sail from chafing against the iron-work. The sides a a haveattached, near their ends, a segment, composed of two parts,

d d, and having the same curve as the sides a a. A stout iron crutch, g.attached to the yard A, clasps this segment, and has rollers n 1t onwhich the segment turns. The object of this is that when the sail islowered suddenly, as in a Squall, without ful-ling, the apparatus willturn, so asto keep the opening through which the sail passes in the mostfavorable position for its entry,'and thus prevent tearing, as would bethe case if the rollers were rigid and stationary.

The reeling chain F passes both ends through the single block I I, fromwhich they pass through the quarter block G, which is attached to thetruss or to the lower topsail-ya-rd A. The chain is then carried alongboth ways beneath the yard to the sheave-holes I I in the yard throughwhich it passes, and has n. sufficient number of turns around therolling-spar C to roll the sail up by the unwinding of the chain. To theblock I I is attached the tackle for working it, whichleads to the deck.The tackle for hoisting the sail is shown at J.

The advantages of this method of reeling upper topsails are, first, thesail stands tighter because the foot is bent to the spar; second, thereeling is independent of the halyards; third, it requires no iron-workin the clews of the sail, neither reef-cringles nor reef-points, earingsor gaskets; fourth, no bunt-.line is required; fifth,

it saves time; no alterations in the old rig are necessary except eyeletholes along the foot.

Having thus described my invention, I do not claim broadly the use ofthe rollers c c with their sides a a, nor the rolling of the sail inreeling; but what I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is`- The crutch g attached to the lower topsail-yard, and itsfriction-rollers n n, together with the segment d d moving on saidrollers, and attached to their sides a a substantially as and for thepurpose described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and aiixed my seul. l

FRIDOLF HK. [1.. 5.]

Witnesses: I

Gao. H. STRONG, C. W. M. SMITH.

